I'm looking to make a trip up W ridge of Stuart this year and am planning on bringing light(er) hikers and rock shoes. I'd like the hikers to take crampons (aluminum) for the descent down the Cascadian. Any advice on specific brands? My mountaineering boots are far too heavy to haul up the route, and my trail hikers are not going to cut it for the descent. My feet are high-volume.

Have a look at the Scarpa Triolet (beefier version) or Charmoz (lighter version). Both of those will climb rock well (I have had good experience with my Triolets) and accept hybrid or full strap crampons. The fit of these boots accommodates higher volume feet than the La Sportiva Trango S. There are a great many choices of boots in this category, so start trying them on and sooner or later you'll find a good fit. I got my Triolets at Feathered Friends, they had a pretty good size selection.

Charmoz




Triolet

have you looked at the Garmont Vetta?

If you can find a pair of Trango Guides, you might consider them. They have been discontinued, but if you scour the interweb, the leftovers are cheap, like $40 marked down from about $100. They take a strap-on crampon well, climb reasonably good, are super light (1 kilogram per pair), and have enough support to protect your ankle/foot in scree/boulder fields, etc. I have a flat wide foot and they fit me quite well.

Called the Vetta Plus now and I recently picked up a pair and the are grrrreat!!!

welt in the rear for poons but not up front for better climbing, high rand, mostly all leather

Take a look at the Montrail CTC Mid's. Enough ankle protection and I've used my Stubai aluminum's successfully on them a few times.

5 star boots! I'm looking forward to pulling that same route soon and I'll be wearing mine!

The West Ridge can easily be climbed in boots.
I wouldn't bother packing rock shoes.
Lighter and Faster = Better
Have fun!

So, for these, you'd bring them alone (no rock shoes) right?

Cool, but... what about N ridge of Stuart? I'm getting lighter boots now for a specific approach, but fully intend to do more technical routes where I'd like to save weight and need rock shoes for the technical part.

Stuart's North Ridge can be done in boots.
I don't know if I would want to climb the Great Gendarme without rock shoes though.
I personally try to climb in boots whenever possible.
Mainly, so I don't have to climb with boots in my pack.
I think anything harder than 5.8 probably warrants rock shoes,
but it all depends on what you are comfortable with.
The Garmont Vetta Plus looks really cool.
I am thinking about looking into a pair.
Could be a really happy medium.

I've got the Garmont Towers and love them, but they are a bit heavy to end up in the pack. Vetta Plus is a similar design, but lighter. I've climbed ~ 5.5 in the Towers pretty easily. Now that I've got a heavy duty pair of leather mountaineering boots, I wish I had the Vettas vs. the Towers. The only thing about the Vetta is they are still over 3 pounds....for a non-waterproof low-top, this still is a bit on the heavy side. Garmont also has a ~ heavy duty approach shoe out this year called the Dragontail....looks pretty cool, but too new to have any reviews, and I don't know what retailers in the Seattle area have them to try on. They are supposed to be a step up from the
"Sticky Cat" in support and durability, which is good because I blew through the lightweight mesh on my sticky cat on the first day out.

How difficult are the routes you've used these boots on?

I own Scarps Mantas, and love them, so these Scarpas are definitely something I will look at, so thanks for the tip!

I've pulled a few 5.8's at the local crag with my Scarpa Triolets - they did fine. Otherwise, many mid fifth class routes abroad.

I've sent a few 5.9 crag routes in La Sportiva Makalu's.
Just for fun.

Perhaps you are considering bringing/buying too much gear for these routes?

I think the best idea is to use tennis shoes or trail runner type shoes for W. Ridge of Stuart. The approach (mostly on a trail), the climb is a few steppy pitches of mid-fifth, and the descent down the dusty trail of the cascadian couloir. This aspect of the mtn bakes in the sun all day and shouldn't hold unavoidable patches of significantly steep snow very late in the season. What reason would there be for any other kinda of extra/heavier footwear?

I must be the only climber in the world who appreciated the cascadian couloir. Think about it... you can descend from a 9,000' mountain basically right down to a trail without any rappels, loose scrambling, bushwhacking, glaciers, streas etc... it's amazing! From the summit you can essentialy walk down a long skinny sand dune for an hour or two, and you are off "the mountain" and a few trail miles from your car.

For the N. Ridge, most people take rock shoes as there are several 5.9 pitches. However, getting to and from the route again is easily done in tennis shoes and this will make your pack lighter and hence the climbing MUCH more fun than hauling boots along on your back. If climbing the North Ridge of Stuart from mid-summer onward, there is no need for snow and ice gear of any type, and you wont even have to set foot on snow.

Although if you are planning on descending one of the north side glaciers, plan accordingly.

OK, so here's where I am coming from:

1) I plan to ascend W ridge in July, when there is some water en route including snow on the cascadian, which I intend to descend.
2) I know of at least one person personally who fell and seriously injured himself on snow on the Cascadian. I want to bring boots and light crampons for the descent.
3) I have rolled my ankle and injured it in the past and would prefer ankle support for the approach and walk out.
4) I have had advice already from a very experienced climber to buy lighter boots for the approach (that take crampons) and to wear rock shoes for the "climbing/scrambling" parts of the route, and carry the boots up with me.

Right now I'm weighing option 4) with just bringing lighter boots and no rock shoes.

This is FWIW info.

I've done the CNRidge in plastic boots in June...we didn't do the Gendarme. Put on the boots at the top of Goat pass, used runners to get to there.

I also have done the Upper N Ridge in Brooks trail running shoes and the Gendarme in a pair of Mythos.

Been down Cascadian and the West Ridge in runners and in boots.

If I were going in July I would take either a really light boot like the Garmont (or something even lighter) or a good set of trailing running shoes. You'll have more fun I suspect going up and down the lighter you go for footware. Although the Cascadian is a loooong bitch with or without snow. No reason in the world to take rock shoes on the West Ridge unless you have a pair that are REALLY comfortable to walk in.

You might want to think about going both up and down the West ridge.

If you must have boots, throw some aluminum 'pons onto these things, and you'll be set for the walking, the scrambling, the snow-descending, and you wont have to carry other shoes along. I think it's cheaper lighter and faster than the other suggestions.

wouldn't it be a lot slower to descend the W ridge?

This option actually would be appealing because we are thinking of hiking in to the base of the ridge on the first evening (say, after work), sleeping there, doing the climb and returning to get out sleeping bags on the way out.

I've got the same problem planning for 180 miles of Idaho Sawtooth and Bighorn Crags backpacking this summer over a 3 week period, with the desire to bag as many peaks along the way as I can, considering my cousin and I won't probably take a rope and gear on our 50+ used up and worthless bodies. But I want to feel as confident as I can on lots of 4th class and easy 5th class terrain. I also have a big time ankle problem, so a low-top shoe won't cut it. We will encounter a few snowfields to descend or ascend in early August, but no glaciers.

I just ordered a pair of Asolo Vortex XCR's from Hometown sports in McCall, hoping that will solve the problem. Anybody here use them?

I may be speaking out of turn, having not climbed the W Ridge before, but it seems to me that if you're concerned about the weight of boots why not wait until August or September?

Depends on how you feel about 4th class rock. By the time you get down the Cascadian and back up the pass I suspect it would be a wash. If the decision is carry bivy gear up the West Ridge and down Cascadian, or no bivy gear and up and down the West Ridge the second choice sounds a lot better and more fun (and faster) to me It might be a little slower but it is a lot more fun and generally just walking and scambling if you are decent at route finding. After going up the West Ridge you should be able to find the easiest route finding on the way down. But I doubt you'd have a problem either way.

The walk off from the base of the west ridge is more fun with no elevation gain on the way out which you can't say for Cascadian.

My Asolo Vortex boots arrived. The fit is very roomy in the forefoot with a narrower heel, just fine for my feet. Good ankle support while remaining light. I'm thinking the boots will climb (edge) better if I shave off a little bit of the overhanging inside sole rubber, visable in the -front- view here. How many of you do that to your approach shoes? I'd like some opinions before I start hacking away at my new $200 purchase.

Just got back from a 90 mile, 12 day backpacking trip. The Asolo Vortex boots were great. Light, supportive, climbed well. No blisters! I'd recommend them to anyone looking for a good backpacking or light weight mountaineering boot. My only complaint is that the fabric bellows tongue leaks down near the toes. But that was fixed with some waterproofing paint stuff. I also wonder how long the sole-upper contact cement connection will last. I'd rather see a real rand there.